


A Fork In Her Path

by Olofa



Category: Frozen (2013), The Little Mermaid (1989)
Genre: Drama, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-13
Updated: 2015-11-13
Packaged: 2018-05-01 09:04:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5200094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Olofa/pseuds/Olofa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elsa & Anna visit Eric & Ariel. Elsa discovers the unsettling answer to, "Where did Ariel get that fork?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Fork In Her Path

Elsa wasn't sure if she was delighted or appalled that she'd brought along Anna on her diplomatic visit to Prince Regent Eric and Princess Ariel. The two energetic redheads got on like long-lost friends, tearing through the castle, and Elsa was dragged along in their wake.

"Anna, Ariel, there's no need to rush. Eric's tied up until tonight. We _do_ have all day." Her words splashed like ripples against a cliff.

"Hey, at least you were on land!" Ariel said to Anna. "For the first couple of months, I had no clue what I was doing up here. I just bumbled through. I can't _believe_ how patient Eric was."

Anna grabbed Ariel's arm and nodded vigorously. "I know just what you mean. This one," she nodded at Elsa, "the first time I took her shopping? She had no idea how buying things worked. 'No, _first_ you choose what you want, _then_ you hand over the money. It's all right if you don't have the exact amount; he'll give you back the difference. No, it's okay to look at something and not buy it.' And it didn't help that everyone wanted to just give her stuff. 'If you don't let her pay, she'll never learn.' Honestly." Anna sighed dramatically, and the two girls laughed. Elsa smiled politely, and hardly rolled her eyes at all.

They had reached Ariel's rooms. She opened a cupboard filled with random junk. "My treasures," she announced.

As Elsa's brow furrowed, Anna leaned forward. "Wow! What is this stuff?"

Ariel smiled sweetly, "I was fascinated with surface life. These are some of the things I collected when I was still underwater." She picked up a tarnished fork. "I thought this was a type of comb. Can you believe it?"

Anna squinted at it. "Y'know, I kind of can. I mean, if you live under water, you don't have fire so you can't exactly cook things. So your food'd be completely different."

Ariel set down the fork as she and Anna, arm in arm, continued their tour. Elsa heard Ariel say, "We did actually do some cooking over thermal vents, but yes, it was totally different," as the two of them wandered away and Elsa stayed back to close the cabinet doors.

Something about the fork handle caught her eye. She slipped it in her pocket.

* * *

 Later that evening, Anna was listening to Eric's side of the story of Ariel's acclimatization, as Elsa discreetly drew Ariel away out of earshot.

"Ariel, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course! Anything." Elsa looked into those wide, innocent eyes, and cursed herself for what she had to do.

"I picked this up from your curio cabinet. I hope you don't mind." She held up the fork.

"Oh, you want it? Sure. I just keep that stuff to remind me of how much I've learned." Her smile beamed. "You can't imagine what it's like to totally have your world suddenly become so much larger. Oh, I guess you can. Sorry." She grinned apologetically.

"No, thank you, I wouldn't want to keep it." Her eyes narrowed. "I have plenty already. Just tell me, how did you manage to come by this?"

"Well, most of the stuff I found was washed out to sea, or fell overboard from various ships." She looked at the fork admiringly. "But this came from a shipwreck. You can't imagine. It was like a treasure cave to me. Anything from the surface just fascinated me."

"Your father. He controls storms at sea?"

"Yeah."

"So, the ship that went down. In a way, that was his doing?"

Ariel paused. "I…suppose so." Her smile washed away. "All those people. I never thought about it at the time, but it's really sad. I mean, the surface; it wasn't entirely real to me, you know?"

Elsa contemplated the Royal Crocus of Arendelle stamped on the handle of the fork. "Yes. It is sad. Very sad." She smiled softly, although blue fire flashed in her eyes. "I'd like you to summon your father, if you could. Right away. I have to…speak with him."

Ariel saw the storm clouds gathering as Elsa's smile turned to a thin determined line.


End file.
